Art Lovers Moscow & St. Petersburg

Enjoy lectures at a variety of prestigious sites, explaining their cultural, political and historical significance.

Slowly walk through the world-famous Hermitage and the Tretyakov Galleries, admire the masterpieces of Russian Realist Art, see the paintings byImpressionists at the Pushkin Museum and General Staff building, visit the State Russian Museum and marvel at the Faberge eggs.

Explore all must-see sites in both cities – the Kremlin, Peterhof, Catherine’s Palace, Church of Our Savior on the Spilled Blood

Relax on a Canal cruise and visit the park of Fallen Idols.

Stay with the royal comfort at the luxury 5-star hotels.

Relax at trendy restaurants with delightful food and ambiance.

Accommodations

InterContinental Tverskaya hotel in Moscow 5*

Astoria hotel in St. Petersburg 5*

Included

Museum Entrance Fees

Highly-educated expert guides

8 breakfasts, 7 lunches, 2 dinners with wine, daily bottled water

High-speed train from Moscow to St. Petersburg

All on-tour transportation on modern air-conditioned motor coach including arrival and departure transfers

Day 1 THU: Welcome to Russia

This evening you can relax with the group, have a welcome drink with your fellow travelers and the Russian team.

Accommodation: Metropol hotel

2

Day 2 FRI: Discover Moscow, visit to the Institute of Russian Realist Art

Today we offer you some insights into the rich history of Moscow. Step into Red Square to admire the colorful of St. Basil’s cathedral.

You will view famous landmarks including the Savior Tower, the Kremlin walls, GUM department store, the State Historical Museum and Lenin’s mausoleum.

After you drive around the Kremlin and view the Christ the Savior Cathedral, a church with a controversial history.

Then you’ll reach the Novodevichy (New Maiden) Convent – the “Convent of the Broken Hearts.” Then you’ll visit Poklonnaya Hill (Bow Hill) – commemorating the events of World War II from a Russian perspective. See Moscow University and the Sparrow Hills.

After lunch you’ll visit the Russian Realist Art Institute.

A rather modest museum that contains one of the best collections of the Russian realist school of painting of the twentieth century. The museum is known as the Institute of Russian Realist Art (IRRA) contains approximately five-hundred works of Russian and Soviet art.

In the evening, you will enjoy a dinner a la Russe, and soak up the unique atmosphere of downtown Moscow.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner with wine

Accommodation: Metropol hotel

3

Day 3 SAT: Old Tretyakov Gallery and Its Neighbourhood

After breakfast, take a Metro ride with your guide and stop to explore the grandeur of its most impressive stations. Then visit the Old Tretyakov Gallery – the main museum housing a collection of Russian art from the XII to the XX century, including the world famous Andrey Rublev’s “Holy Trinity.”

We will stop for lunch at the local restaurant and then walk around the ancient streets of Zamoskvorechye – the neighborhood around the Tretyakov gallery. Here you can catch a glimpse of pre-Revolutionary Moscow. It used to be home to craftsmen of all trades. Peter the Great’s reforms brought in merchants with their grand mansions. Later, they were followed by the nobility who built grand palaces. While you explore the many little picturesque lanes, you will forget for a moment that you are in one of the busiest cities in the world. Today, the district is full of pedestrian zones with cozy cafes and restaurants.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: Metropol hotel

4

Day 4 SUN: Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts and New Tretyakov Gallery

Meet your guide in the lobby of your hotel. Tour the European building of the Pushkin Museum, where you will see the world-famous col

lection includes major works by Impressionist and Post-Impressionist.

After lunch, you will walk along the embankment under Krymsky bridge from Gorky park to the Park of Arts Muzeon. It is one of the largest Russian outdoor museums where the statues of disgraced leaders share their place with diverse creations by contemporary sculptors.

To complete the art tour, visit the New Tretyakov Gallery. The New Tretyakov is the premier venue for XX century Russian art.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: Metropol hotel

5

Day 5 MON: Kremlin Day - Rail to St. Petersburg

Today, you will enter the Kremlin walls to feel the country’s past and present. The Kremlin is an old fortress and the most important historical and political center of Russia. You will see

the Kremlin’s compositional center and look into the three main cathedrals – the Assumption, the Annunciation and the Archangel’s Michael cathedral.

You will visit the Armory Chamber – the treasury of Russian Tsars that houses a collection of unique jewelry, court regalia, armor, coronation dresses, golden carriages, and some of the fabulous and priceless Easter Eggs by Karl Faberge.

Later you will be transferred to Leningradsky railway station to board the rapid train Sapsan to St. Petersburg. Upon arrival in St. Petersburg, you will check in to your hotel.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: Astoria hotel

6

Day 6 TUE: The Hermitage and General Staff Building

After a leisurely breakfast, go to Dvortsovaya (Palace square). A highlight of your stay is a guided visit to the famous Hermitage Museum with its masterpieces by hundreds of artists including Renoir, Da Vinci, and Matisse. The State Hermitage occupies six magnificent buildings and is one of the oldest and largest art galleries in the world. It is estimated that you would need eleven years to view each exhibit on display for just one minute!

After a lunch-break admire the Impressionist Gallery. In 2014 the Hermitage opened a new wing in the GeneralStaff Building directly across from the Winter Palace. This new wing consists of eight-hundred rooms all dedicated to the art from the nineteenth to twenty-first centuries. In this building includes Russia’s huge collection of impressionist and post-impressionist work; as well as exemplary examples of neo-classical, romanticism, Barizon School and an extensive collection of German art.

Optional: You’ll have time to refresh back at the hotel before the performance. Enjoy the evening program (Ballet/Opera/Folk dance show/Classic music) – the schedule is subject to change.

Today, you will depart to the Pushkin town or Tsarskoye Selo, just outside St. Petersburg. It is famed for its majestic Catherine’s palace where Empress Catherine the Great lived and died. Its main attractions are the mirrored Grand Ballroom and the opulent Amber Room. You will continue to the beautiful Catherine Park surrounding the palace.

Then after lunch join your fellow travelers for an unforgettable tour to Peterhof Park – the “capital of fountains” – with the most famous Grand Cascade. It is beautiful in the summertime! There are 64 different fountains and numerous bronze statues, bas-reliefs, and other decorations. The architecture and decor of Peterhof reflects all the artistic styles of the past and the personal tastes and preferences of every Russian monarch.

Then upon arrival in the city, enjoy the canal cruise. If you look at the city from the water, you will see an absolutely different St. Petersburg.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch

Accommodation: Astoria Hotel

8

Day 8 THU: Masterpieces of Russian Museum and Faberge Eggs

After a leisurely breakfast, meet your expert guide in the lobby for the Russian Museum tour.

The State Russian Museum is the largest museum of Russian art in the world, housing crème de la crème of Russian art, ranging from historic to contemporary times.

After lunch visit the Faberge Museum established by Viktor Vekselberg. One item you might admire is the world’s largest collection of priceless Easter eggs that Faberge created for the Imperial family.

Continue past the Field of Mars and the Summer Gardens to the most famous church in the city the Church of Our Savior on the Spilled Blood.

In the evening enjoy a Gala dinner with your fellow travelers.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Farewell dinner

Accommodation: Astoria Hotel

9

Day 9 FRI: Return Home

Departure transfer for your onward flight.

Meals: Breakfast

The tour was created with the support and guidance of the US artist Cathy Locke

Cathy Locke holds a B.F.A. from Art Center College of Design and a M.F.A. from the Academy of Art University, both with honors. She currently teaches a variety of figurative courses in the graduate department at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. She has received accolades for my work from the Pastel Society of America, Art Directors Club of New York, Society of Illustrators in Los Angeles, Connecticut Society of Portrait Artists, the Pastel Journal and Campaign Papers. She has also received two Pastel 100 Awards placing her as one of the top 100 pastelists in the world. Her work is collected by civic institutions, colleges and universities, and private patrons across the United States, Canada, and Europe.

Cathy Locke is currently writing a book on Russian art. She works as a freelance writer for a number of art publications and maintains a blog on Russian and European art.

Her work has been recently featured in two museum shows, including a special honor where my work was hand selected from the Pastel Society of America’s Annual Exhibition to show at the Butler Institute of American Art. The other was an exhibition at the Morris Graves Museum titled “Motion and Meaning.”

Cathy is a member of Oil Painters of America, the Portrait Society of America and the California Art Club.

Moscow & St. Petersburg – 9-Day Art Lovers Tour

Thursday, May 16, 2019 – Friday, May 24, 2019

Thursday, June 6, 2019 – Friday, June 14, 2019

Thursday, June 20, 2019 – Friday, June 28, 2019

Thursday, July 4, 2019 – Friday, July 12, 2019

Thursday, July 18, 2019 – Friday, July 26, 2019

Thursday, August 1, 2019 – Friday, August 9, 2019

Thursday, August 15, 2019 – Friday, August 23, 2019

Thursday, September 5, 2019 – Friday, September 13, 2019

Prices

2 Guests in Double room $5,750 per person

4 Guests in Double rooms $4,550 per person

Single supplement $1600

Family & Friends Discount – Travel with 3 or more and save $50-$100 per person!
Book now and get 5% discount!

Payment Conditions:Deposit: 10% of the price
Final Payment: 90 days prior to departure

Cancellation Fees: 91 days prior to departure or more: 10% of the price
90-61 days prior to departure: 20% of the price
60-31 days prior to departure: 50% of the price
30 days prior to departure or less: 100% of the price

4 nights in Moscow at the 5-star InterContinental Moscow Tverskaya

This modern luxury hotel located on Tverskaya street is putting you in the vibrant heart of the city. It is about a 15-minute walk to the Kremlin and Red Square.

4 nights in St. Petersburg at the 5-star Astoria Hotel

A city landmark since 1912, Hotel Astoria has hosted many eminent guests, including dancer Isadora Duncan and poet Sergei Yesenin. This luxury hotel is situated directly across from St Isaac’s Cathedral and a short walk from leading attractions such as Nevsky Prospect, Palace Square, and the Mariinsky Theatre.